Hyde's vision for the UN
By Paul M. Weyrich
web posted June 13, 2005
The House International Relations Committee voted last week to
slash our country's dues payments to the United Nations unless
"Big Blue" starts making real reform. Bravo. It's long overdue.
We have sent too many blank checks without strings attached to
the UN only to see our money squandered. Consider that it is
Uncle Sam who pays over one-fifth of the UN's annual $2 billion
budget which does not include the bill for UN's peacekeeping
and education and development programs.
Conservatives have good reason to cheer the statement made by
House International Relations Committee Chairman Henry Hyde
(R-IL). "If you're going to reform something, reform it." The
cause of reform is not certain, however. The Washington Times
reported that "Despite widespread anger in Congress at the
United Nations, the bill faces an uncertain fate, and no
companion bill has been introduced in the Senate."
Let's hope there are Senators who will have the courage to draw
a similar line in the sand and demand that the UN begin to reform
itself. As far as I am concerned, it is time the UN either clean
house or we should consider withdrawing altogether. We do not
need to waste our money only to see Third World dictatorships
spit in our face by denouncing our country for our alleged lack of
generosity and for oppressiveness. Enter the General Assembly
of the UN and you've entered the Twilight Zone of international
relations.
The Hyde bill has many particularly noteworthy provisions. The
Hyde bill would force the UN to adopt criteria that countries
seeking membership on the UN Human Rights Council or
another UN human rights body must themselves have proven
records of human rights. "Under these criteria, countries that fail
to uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights would be
ineligible for membership."
Many Americans would be surprised to learn that countries, such
as Sudan and Cuba, that have despicable records on human
rights are current members of the United Nation Commission on
Human Rights, which helps to determine the human rights
policies of the UN. It's as if the convicted murderers in your state
penitentiary were seated on a jury with your state's finest citizens.
Hyde's bill specifically mandates countries that would be subject
to country-specific human rights resolutions would be ineligible
for membership. The fact sheet issued by the House International
Relations Committee specifically states, "This provision
addresses the deplorable state of the current Commission on
Human rights and prevents countries such as Cuba and Sudan to
act as arbiters of human rights."
The UN has a record of blindness when it comes to
administering programs, such as Oil for Food, in which there has
been substantial wrongdoing. Hyde blames the mismanagement
on extremely poor oversight by the UN. A measure supported
by former Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC) and current Senator
Joseph P. Biden (D-DE) created an Office of Internal Oversight
Services (OIOS). However, that office must be asked by the
UN Security Council or the Office of the UN Secretary General
to conduct an investigation before it receives funds to investigate.
That presents a conflict of interest. The Hyde bill calls for
creation of an Independent Oversight Board ("IOB") which
would have the investigative independence that we expect from
the Inspectors General of American federal agencies and the
Government Accountability Office (GAO). The UN itself must
fund the proposed IOB, which "shall not be subject to budget
authority or organizational authority of any entity within the
United Nations." Creation of the IOB would represent a
significant step toward ensuring that the OIOS has real
investigative bite rather than being the toothless tiger that it is
now.
Also required by Hyde's bill would be the creation of a UN
Ethics Office to reduce the many conflicts of interest that have
embarrassed the UN. The proposed UN Ethics Office would be
"tasked with, among other things, oversight of financial disclosure
forms with the goal of thwarting abuses and conflicts of interest. .
. Public disclosure of financial interest by senior UN officials is a
vital step in addressing conflicts of interest . . ." the Committee
explained.
It is one thing for the UN to hold a conference to address
important world issues. It should not be an excuse to enjoy the
high life. Hyde's International Relations Committee staff
discovered that nearly 20 per cent of the assessed regular budget
(paid annually by member states, including the United States) is
gobbled up by UN conferences. Some conferences have a price
tag of $7,000 to $8,000 an hour. That's money that could
improve medical services or fund education but a good part of it
is going to fancy hotels and lavish buffets and cocktail parties.
Hyde wants a 10 per cent cut in these conferences in 2007
followed by a 20 per cent cut in 2008.
There are numerous provisions in the Hyde bill to address issues,
such as budget, accountability, human rights and peacekeeping; it
is a comprehensive piece of reform legislation. Credit Hyde for
taking decisive action and spurring debate on whether our
country should see corruption and mismanagement and even evil
committed (UN peacekeeping troops have committed atrocities)
and continue to subsidize those evils or take decisive action to
force the UN to clean up its act. If our country is going to
continue membership in the UN – and I certainly never have
been a supporter of membership – then we should make sure
that our country and the world gets its money's worth.
Paul M. Weyrich is the Chairman and CEO of the Free
Congress Foundation (www.freecongress.org/).
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